Very Late Onset Schizophrenia?

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My grandma is hallucinating and having delusions at an accelerated level since this morning at 4:30 am. My dad and I took her to the ER today because she was having issues distinguishing reality from fiction. They ran blood tests, checked for an UTI, and did a initial dementia test, and they all came back just fine. So, in they’re infinite wisdom the doctors deduced that she was ok to go home without any prescription. Citing that, since there was nothing wrong medically, they couldn’t keep her there. And the young doctor apparently hadn’t heard of very late onset schizophrenia (which I hadn’t either until afterwards), so she sent my grandma home with her son and grandson beside her.

This would be all fine and dandy, but I tried to get her just to sit in her chair and she wouldn’t saying it wasn’t hers. She would see young children around everywhere, dirt on furniture, holes in the ground so she wouldn’t step there and every other benign hallucinations you can think of. But she wasn’t scared, or a threat to anyone, so she couldn’t get admitted and is now going to the doctors yet again for a psych evaluation.

This is breaking my heart to see my closest grandparent go down like this, like possibly the very condition I struggle with on a day to day basis.

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Onset schizophrenia in your 60s and above is almost unheard of

My bet would be some other neurological issue is going on

Please have her go see a different neurologist

I’m sorry @John_Raven

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Yes, we are planning that already.

Thank you, @Wave

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could be a brain tumor…

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I have an elderly relative and if they ever get an untreated UTI they behave like that. But if they’ve ruled it out, they’ve ruled it out.

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Could be, but they did a cat scan and it showed nothing. But I don’t know if it would.

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Is she on any meds? If so did she change any of them or their doses recently?

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I think she’s off most meds, but she was on gabapentin for awhile because she had shingles just a few weeks ago that lasted a while.

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She is on metformin and type 2 diabetes medication but I don’t know which one.

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Thank you, @Mars, very much for that article which I sent to my father. I hope this is all it is and can get better with APs.

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So sorry to hear about what your grandmother is experiencing. I hope your family is able to get a correct diagnosis for her and get her treated. That must be so scary to see her change so suddenly.

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Yeah hopefully she can take APs or it goes away on it’s own after recovering from shingles.

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She needs a full work up by both her primary doctor and a different neurologist.

I’m sorry. This must be scary.

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Update: My grandma was admitted to a room in the hospital due to psychosis, but they’ll test her in the coming days more thoroughly.

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I’m relieved that they admitted her. I’m sorry you and she are dealing with this right at the holidays. It must be very scary for you both. I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

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Great news @John_Raven . I hope they can get to the reason behind it all.

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Thank you, @WhiteRaven. My siblings and I have a tradition where we wrap presents with grandma on Christmas Eve. We would watch White Christmas with her. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look possible anymore. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and prayers.

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Thank you, @everhopeful, it’s much appreciated.

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This is a normal feature of advanced dementia. Father-in-law has it. He is herding cattle with aliens at the long term care now. Sorry man.

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